Emerging Shadows
by Cross Varia
Summary: Terra and Aqua encounter the mysterious figure before their meeting with Xehanort but this causes them to end up in an unknown place where all they know is twisted around. TerraxAqua with hints at other couples later on. Enjoy and don't forget to leave a review.
1. Dive into the unknown

A/N: Alright this is my first KH Fic It's going to be the first out of two stories that I've had on my head so hope you like it.

Title: Emerging Shadows

Summary: Before Terra becomes corrupt by Xehanort, he and Aqua meet a mysterious figure which sends them through a rift. At the other side they see what they thought was impossible as they are forced to face the new truth in order to find a way home.

Rating: T maybe M

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_"Master! We have to move!" Yelled a boy with pitch black hair. He held two blades, one was pitch black and in the shape of a devil's wing while the other was white and was strangely shaped like and angel's wing with the addition of three feathers that took the shape of the head of a key. The one the boy referred to master chuckled as he formed a dark blade which had the head of an ax at the end._

_"Run Cross This fight is between me and my old friend... Even if he has been corrupt by his devotion to the light" The man sighed as he readied his blade in a defensive stance. "Come now my old friend..Let us end this now."_

_Cross looked on as he tightened the grip on his blades. "Fine. We will see you again right master?" He asked only to receive a silent nod as he began running towards a portal made of darkness. "Good luck." He said as he disappeared into the pool of shadows._

A mysterious figure chuckled as he looked at his hands. "What a fool..." He said aloud as he saw two armored people walk towards him. "I assume you two have come to fight me?" He asked in a monotone voice.

One of the two figures swung their arm which caused their armor to disappear in a burst of light. The person was a tall boy who wore a skin tight black collard shirt with two straps running across in a X formation, a tan colored hakama which was kept up by a black belt with a crest as a belt buckle and red armored boots. his blue eyes scanned the figure in front of him as he crossed his arms and spoke. "What are you doing here?"

The figure only let out a low chuckle as it walked towards the pair. "To fulfill my mission." He said as he let his arms fall to his sides. His black cloak swayed gently in the wind as he continued walking towards them.

The other armored person looked at the boy and then back at the figure as a feminine voice came out "And that would be?" She asked bluntly only to hear an ominous chuckle as he slid his hood down to reveal a pair of golden eyes that caused the pair to become confused.

"To make sure my master receives his new vessel." The cold voice caused the pair to shiver as they readied themselves.

Terra was the first to move as a light appeared in his hand which quickly formed an intricate weapon. Within a split second, the sound of two blades clashing snapped the girl out of her daze as she quickly summoned her own blade. She closed her eyes as she began to concentrate on focusing her energy into her weapon. "Terra just keep him busy!" She yelled out as the two men continued their battle.

The mysterious man only smirked as he easily parried and countered each of Terra's attacks until he stopped his opponent's attack with a second weapon. The man's eyes widened as he was sent sliding back from the sheer brute strength Terra was using on him. "Hmph...So your muscles aren't only for show." He said as he summoned a second blade.

Terra's smirked as he dashed towards the man with blade drawn. "Aren't you the shocked one." He replied as he and the man clashed over and over, their blades making contact every time they closed the gap between each other. Both of them were grinning once they slid away from each other. "You aren't half bad."

The man chuckled as he connected both blades together at the hilt. "Now then. Lets see whose faster." His eyes narrowed as he dashed towards the girl who was still casting only to be knocked away with a fierce strike. "Hmm."

The brunette tensed up as he and the figure continued exchanging blows. The attacks from the man were shallow but they were hitting more frequently due to the dual ended blade and not to mention the fact that almost every attack he did hit on the man would only go through him without leaving even the tinniest scratch. The brunette cursed under his breath as he raised his blade and poured dark energy into it.

The figure chuckled as he separated his dual blade into their separate parts. "You know you can't beat me Terra." The man mocked which caused Terra to growl as the dark energy began to spin around his blade faster and faster until it was covered in black flames. "Die!" He yelled out as a series of dark fireballs flew at the man all at once only to be cut down by the two blades.

The man chuckled menacingly as he walked towards Terra with his twin blades glowing brighter and brighter. "So close. Now lay down and let me prepare you for m-" He was interrupted by a torrent of ice and snow which came from the woman who had been casting a spell.

"You won't lay a hand on Terra!" She yelled out as she swung again this time unleashing a torrent of cold air which froze the ice and snow. As a result the man stood still as the solidified ice kept him in place. "Not so strong now." She said until she felt a hand grasp the back of her head. "wh-what?" She said as she was slammed into the ground face first by the person she thought she had frozen. The force was strong enough to break her helmet and shatter the visor which revealed her blue hair.

"Aqua!"

The man smirked as Terra charged at him once again, his blade covered in darkness as it clashed once again with the two blades the man had. This time both blades strained as the sound of electricity cracking filled the air followed by the sound of the two blades snapping in half as the blade connected with the man's chest causing him to slide back and wince in pain.

Terra was taking deep breaths as he heaved his blade up and began casting a spell. His muscles tensed once his blade was glowing a bright red. The man winced as he held his hand out in front of him which reformed one of his blades which took the form of a whip instead of its regular bladed form. Terra watched silently as he continued increasing the amount of energy in his keyblade.

The man smirked as he sent his whip towards Terra only to be deflected by Aqua who had removed her helmet. "You'll pay for slamming my head into the ground." she said as she disappeared in a flash. The man could only swing his whip around in a circle when he felt a sharp pain on his back. The sound of a liquid hitting the floor alerted the man to the presence of another wound when out of nowhere Aqua was already in front of him again. Her weapon was about to hit him in the exact spot where Terra had hit when a sudden burst of darkness sent her flying into the ground.

As soon as the energy had dispersed, a large flame was already on its way towards the man who grit his teeth as he disappeared in black smoke only to appear behind Terra with his blade pointed at the brunette's back. "Throw down your weapons." He said as multiple beams of energy appeared around the brunette. "If you don't then I'll make sure he doesn't leave here alive."

Aqua sighed in defeat as she dismissed her keyblade followed by Terra which caused the figure to laugh as a dark portal appeared under both keyblade wielders. "Goodbye" He said as both keybladers sunk into their respective portals. The fall through the darkness was slow and she noticed Terra was getting closer to her. "Terra!" She yelled out as she stretched out her hand but noticed that it began fading. "Terra.." She whispered to herself as her vision became blurry.

All she heard was her name as she fell into a dream like state.

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The sound of a loud thud shook the bluenette from her sleep. She stood and took in her surroundings which were strange since everything looked like it was barren and decaying as well as the amount of light that covered the sky was not normal. "Where am I?" She questioned aloud only to hear a groan which came from the brunette who was sleeping at the foot of a dead tree. "At least he's safe." She said aloud while looking for anything that would look familiar to her.

While she was looking around, a person walked towards them with a basket in hand. "So you've woken up." Said the person as they set the basket down near the still sleeping Terra. "I was worried you two were going to die." The person said as they walked towards Aqua with a look of worry.

Aqua turned and noticed the person was a girl. She had raven colored eyes and golden brown hair that reached the middle of her back as well as a simple bang that covered her left eye. Her face was surprisingly pale for someone who was all the way out where they were. "Who are you?" She replied with a questioning look on her face.

The strange girl covered her mouth as she let out a small giggle. "I'm sorry for not introducing myself but my name is Mika and don't worry. This isn't actually what you think it is." She said referring to the area they were in. "What you see is an illusion created to disorient trespassers. This is actually a really nice place." Aqua was completely confused until a series of glyphs surrounded the area they were in. "Now watch." She said as she began connecting all the glyphs together with a ray of light which in turn caused the barren wasteland turn into a beautiful valley.

The change of scenery amazed Aqua as she looked around at the sights. "Wow. Did you make the spell?" She asked as she continued looking around.

Mika smiled then nodded. "Yup this is illusion magic but I specialize in everything so I usually take care of creating traps and all that fun stuff." She looked over at Terra who was still fast asleep only to hear the occasional groan that he would make. "Who is he?" She asked as she knelt down in front of him and studied his face. She blushed a little when she realized how cute he looked. "Is he taken?"

The sudden question snapped Aqua out of her silent amazement of the scenery. "T-taken?" She replied with a completely confused expression on her face.

"I mean is he seeing someone." Mika replied as she traced the outline of his face with her index finger. _'he sleeps so calmly'_ She thought as she continued staring at the sleeping brunette.

Aqua looked at the sight and right away she felt a small sensation in her chest. "N-no He's not seeing anyone right now..." She trailed off when she realized that there was someone else walking towards them.

"Cross!" Mika called out while running over towards him. The one she called Cross was a boy with wild black hair that reached to the bottom of his neck. He had golden eyes with a hint of silver around the edge of the iris. He held a blank expression on his face as he looked over at Mika and then at Aqua. "What are you doing here?" Mika asked with a slight tilt of her head.

"I came here to take him with me..." Cross replied while pointing at Terra who was beginning to stir. "I need to test him so I can see whether or not he should be here." He said before anyone could ask his motive.

Mika sighed as she gently shook Terra while Aqua walked over to cross. "Yes?" He asked bluntly while not looking her directly in the eyes.

Aqua took a deep breath and sighed as she looked at Cross in the eyes. "Where are we?" Cross' solemn face gave no answers as he turned over to a large hill in the distance. "Is this a world that's been overrun by Xehanort's darkness?" The question seemed to strike a nerve as within an instant a blade was pressed up against her throat.

He narrowed his eyes as if trying to figure out who this strange person was. "Do not speak ill of Master Xehanort. If you know what is good for you." He quickly dispelled his blade only to see Terra charging at him with keyblade drawn. "Hmph..." Mika sighed as she looked at the scene unfolding in front of her.

With precision, Cross parried the strike and quickly sent Terra into the ground. "You sure took your sweet time waking up." He said aloud as he dispelled his weapon only to be tackled to the ground.

A loud thud filled the air as a low groan from Cross caught everyone's ears. "Don't you dare lay a hand on Aqua." The brunette said as he pummeled Cross with heavy punches to the face and chest. "And since you're such a close student to Xehanort you're telling me everything about him!" He yelled out as he brought his fist down onto Cross' face only to be kicked off.

The black haired boy growled as his hand created an orb of darkness which turned into a blade that was in the form on a devil's wing. "So I'm assuming you side with that traitor Eraqus!" He yelled out as he charged at Terra only to clash with him. "To think we were actually thinking of asking for your help!" He said as he kicked the brunette away and unleashed an orb of darkness covered in white flames.

Terra's eyes widened as he held his blade up in defense only to get burn by the heat generated by the strange fireball. "Ngh..What are you talking about!" he shot back as he avoided a salvo of black fireballs which set the ground on fire. "Eraqus died due to my mistakes...There is no way he is alive!"

That comment caused Cross to stop and think. There was no way that Eraqus was dead since he just fought against him not even a month ago. The situation was getting more and more confusing. The most reasonable explanation would be that they fell through a rift but that was impossible since a large amount of darkness would have to be present at once and that would take the presence of over a thousand heartless. He sighed and dispelled his blade as he crossed his arms. "He isn't dead."

That statement alone caused the pair to look at each other with a dumbfounded look. "I saw him die with my own two eyes." Terra said with an irritated tone. "He died in my arms!" He yelled out with a sense of sorrow in his voice. Aqua noticed the distress on his face when she stepped in between the two of them.

"Enough you two!" Aqua yelled out at both of them which caused them to stop and look at her. "Master Eraqus is dead but we may be able to clear this up if we find grand master Yen Sid." That caused Mika to look down. "Mika.. what's wrong?"

Cross growled again and let out an irritated sigh. "How stupid could you two be...Yen Sid is dead. Every other world is dead. Every person you knew is dead. They are all gone and it was all done by Eraqus!" He yelled out as he walked over to Mika who was still looking at the ground. "If you two wish to know more then follow us. if not than you can find a way to get back to your home."

Both Aqua and Terra looked at each other then nodded as they followed Cross and Mika to wherever they were going.

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Hope you enjoy the first chapter.

I'll try to do regular updates but that might be a bit hard. We'll see where this goes.

Thanks for reading the first chapter and don't forget to leave a review and a comment.


	2. Facing the Truth

A/N: Right off the bat for those who have faved or subbed the story I thank you and I am sorry for the lack of updates on anything. To make things fairly short and simple I am on my last quarter of College and I have a Capstone project to finish and a tour project I gotta finish so my time is kinda spread out everywhere. I try to write as often as I can as well as try to get as much done in one sitting so I don't sound like I'm jumping around. As far as Heart of Snow is concerned it will be continued and I will try to update that as well as this as much as possible. So for your patience I present to you chapter 2. Hope ya enjoy it. Oh and I want to know some suggestions for possible characters I can add in FF, Square Enix games, or even Disney. Let me know and I'll see if I can work em in. Enjoy!

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The moon had just risen as the night sky became lit up with stars. The group of four slowly walked up to a large gate which opened with a loud creak. As they walked inside, Terra and Aqua were amazed at how lively the city was as well as the fact that everything looked so unique. Cross and Mika stopped walking then turned to get a look at the pair behind them. "Welcome to Guardian's Keep." Said Mika who signaled to the lively activities behind her.

Terra and Aqua took the chance to look around and notice the amount of excitement that took place in the city. The sound of music, laughter and small chatter seemed to calm the nerves of the pair. They both decided to explore around since Mika and Cross seemed to had disappeared. They walked through the streets and took in the sights which were eye catching at the very least. "This place is so lively." The bluenette called out while stopping near a fountain. "More than the land of departure at least.." She added on as she sat down on the edge of the fountain.

"Yeah. This place is calm and looks like its protected from heartless and the unversed." The brunette crossed his arms and began thinking about something that had been on his mind even before the fight with the mysterious figure.

_"Terra why won't you let me help you!" Aqua yelled out while grasping onto his shoulders. _

_Terra narrowed his eyes and quickly knocked her hands away from his shoulders. "This is my problem and I can solve it. Aren't you supposed to be saving the worlds Master Aqua?" The word master slid off of his tongue just like the venom from a snake's fangs._

_Her eyes widened as she backed away slowly. She was confused and didn't know what he had just said had meant. "What is that supposed to mean?" She replied with a low whisper._

_"Its exactly what it sounds like." He said as he seemed to be getting uncomfortable with the conversation at hand. "You achieved what I couldn't so go do the duties that were assigned to you and leave me behind!" He yelled out as he clenched his fists. "You think you know everything. How was I supposed to know that this THING inside of me would cause me so much damn pain!"_

_She looked up to him then took some steps forward. "Ignorance isn't an excuse." She retorted with a slight glare. "I try to understand Terra...but you never let me in. You never let me get close enough to you to understand you!" He could see tears building up in her eyes and that caused him to let out a sigh._

_"Just stay away from me." He said which caused the bluenette to let out a soft sob. She had begun to cry and that began to tear him apart. "Its for your own good and mine that we don't end up meeting together like this." He said as he began walking off only to stop hen he felt her hand wrap around his wrist. "Please Terra"_

_His eyes widened as he realized what was happening. "I.." He winced then looked down at the ground. "I'm doing what needs to be done." He said as he moved her hand away from him and continued walking. "Now you have to do what needs to be done. Even if it means killing me."_

_Her eyes closed as she fell to her knees. "So you're siding with the darkness..." She said as she felt a burst of light behind her. When she opened her eyes and turned around, He was already on his glider and leaving the world._

_Terra clutched the handles on his glider as he sped up as fast as possible. "I'm sorry Aqua." He muttered as he disappeared._

"ra...T..ra. Terra!" The voice snapped the brunette out of his stupor which caused him to babble uncontrollably until Aqua calmed him down. "I though you passed out standing up." She said with a slight giggle which caused the brunette to blush a light red.

"I-I was daydreaming!" He quickly blurted out which caused him to slam his forehead into his palm. "I..I mean uhh." He quickly went silent which caused Aqua to go into another laughing fit. "Its not my fault I finally decided to relax." He said with a pout.

The two of them were talking for a while longer until a strange sensation caught both of them. That caused Terra to stiffen up and turn to look at a man with long black hair and a red cloak walking towards them. He had a headband around his forehead and his skin was completely pale. He looked at the two and held his cold stare. "Mika asked me to lead you two to your home for the time being." The man said as he began to walk towards a crowded street.

Both keybladers followed until they stopped at a large house. "This is it." The man said as he slid his cloak to the side which revealed a large claw. Terra instantly summoned his keyblade which caused the strange man to chuckle. "I am not an enemy." He said as he held his normal hand out with a key in his palm. "By the way just so you know who I am. My name is Vincent." He said as he handed the key to Aqua.

Vincent chuckled to himself then began walking away followed by the silence of no one being there. Both keybladers made a mental note of the fact that Vincent may be a force to reckon with if angered.

Aqua sighed in relief as she opened the door which led into the large house. The contents inside made them both look in awe as they saw everything from brand new furniture to a completely loaded fridge. "This is so strange.." Remarked the Bluenette who wandered around the ground floor of the house. "This place has everything.."

Terra shrugged and walked over to the couch. He looked around then sat down on it. "Well its night time. We can go explore a little more or just go to bed." He said aloud as he leaned further back into the couch. The bluenette leaned against the counter in the kitchen and looked over at the brunette. "I want to talk for a bit if you don't mind." She said which caused him to fidget around uncomfortably.

"About what?" He replied calmly until he saw her serious expression. "Is it about what happened before the fight with that creep?"

"Yes" She replied as she picked up an apple from the counter and placed it near her lips. "I want you to be honest with me. Was our master's death your intention or not?" She said aloud followed by biting the apple that was in her hand.

The brunette had gone over that exact question in his mind for so long and he didn't even know the answer. Master Eraqus was like his father but the way he was treated. To be treated like an animal just because of something that decided to take over part of his heart. He just wasn't angry at his master. He was angry at everyone who shunned him after his failure of the mark of mastery exam. His rage took over that day and it caused the end of his adoptive father's life. "You know me Aqua. Master wasn't just my mentor. He was my father figure and...I didn't mean to kill him. I regained control right after my keyblade cut him down. I regained control and knew what I was doing." His voice had begun to break up.

"I listened to Xehanort and I got what I deserved. I killed master because I was foolish enough to believe I could control this damn thing inside of me!" He cried out as he grasped the soft fabric of the couch. "The only man I could call father. His blood is on my hands and I can't do anything about it." Tears were streaming down his face as he tried to control himself in between each sob. The bluenette quickly embraced Terra and cradled his head against her shoulder as she mentally kicked herself for bringing this up again.

"I'm sorry Terra. I just wanted to know what your intentions were." She said as she felt his strong arms wrap around her waist. "I never meant to make you feel guilty."

The brunette sobbed lightly as he spoke. "I know but.." Before he could finish his sentence he felt his head shift from her shoulder to her chest as she deepened the embrace. He could feel her shake as her own tears began to form. "Aqua.." He said softly as he pulled back and looked at her face. Her eyes were red and tears were sliding down her pale cheeks.

"You weren't the only one who felt the loss of Master Eraqus." She said as she let out a soft sob. "And then you left me behind.." Her tears continued to slide down her cheeks until she felt his warm hand wipe them away.

The brunette silently kicked himself mentally when he realized that he wan't the only one hurt by the events prior to their current situation. He closed his eyes and pulled the bluenette into a hug. Her head was cradled protectively against his chest as he stroked her hair. "I'm sorry." He continuously said until he felt her arms wrap around him as well.

"I know..but please let me be like this for a little while longer" The brunette nodded as he closed his eyes while keeping his friend in his arms.

Meanwhile in the town square stood Cross who was talking to a boy who was shorter than him but bared the same features as him such as the wild black hair and the golden eyes. "So how is master recovering from his last fight?" The boy shrugged and crossed his arms.

"He'll recover. On the other hand another colony went dark a little while ago." The boy's tone caused Cross to growl at him. "What? its not my problem and you know I'm indifferent to these things."

The black haired man sighed and placed his hand on a crest that was hanging from a thread. "I'll check out the colony and report back. Meanwhile I want you to keep an eye on the two new ones." The crest began to glow and an intricate armor formed on him. The armor looked like the one Terra wore with the exception of two horns which were pointed forward. "Warn Zack and the others to be ready for any of Eraqus' tricks."

The boy nodded then quickly turned only to run into Mika who was standing behind him. "If it isn't van." She said in an irritated tone. "I still owe you for that last sparring match that left me with a broken arm." She smirked until she noticed Cross was in his armor. "I'm guessing another one went dark."

"Yeah I'm going to check out the other colonies" He turned and summoned his twin blades followed by a black portal forming behind him. "I'll be back soon and I'll try to get Ace back as well." Mika nodded as he turned and entered the portal.

The two looked at each other then walked in different directions. Mika looked at the large gates and wondered how anyone could get past those with so much ease. "When will this end." She said aloud as she turned to face a person in what looked like armor. "It seems those two weren't the only ones to appear." The person in armor took a step forward then collapsed to the floor. The person's armor was disappearing bit by bit until it was completely gone leaving only a crest on the ground with a person next to it.

"Hey are you ok?" She asked as she held her hand above him while creating a green aura. "Come on..." She said as the energy began entering the person's body. She let out a slight grunt as she allowed more of her energy to go into the healing aura until a bright light crashed down next to them. "Whoa!" She yelled out as she barely managed to jump out of the way while on the other hand, the person was clearly not even touched by the impact.

A soft groan snapped Mika out of her trance as she jumped up and ran over to the person who was still on the ground. "Come on now. Wake up. You can do it." She said reassuringly to the person who was taking deep breaths now as opposed to the shallow breathing from a few seconds ago. "Good. Now try to sit up." She calmly said as the person complied with her request.

The person had blonde hair and his clothing consisted of a white and black jacket on top of a gray vest and black shirt. Apart from that he had what looked like a piece of armor on his abdomen and his shoulder. He shook his head and looked around. "Where am I?" He asked. his head was spinning and everything seemed like it was moving extremely slow until he heard a voice.

"Hey.. wake up. Come on now. you can do it" He shook his head and looked around only to notice that he was in some strange new area. As soon as he noticed this, he jumped up and attempted to summon his keyblade only to fail. He tried again and again only to fail over and over until he finally noticed someone was standing behind him.

"W-Who are you?" He asked as he slowly backed away only to bump into someone else which caused him to panic and dash forward. His eyes quickly scanned the area again which only had the two people there. On one side was Mika who was sitting on her knees and on the other side was a man wearing a black trench coat with the sleeves cut off and a large sword on his back.

The man looked at the person who stood in front of him and let out a small chuckle. "I'm Cloud Strife. The lady over there is Mika." He said as he turned and began walking away but stopped and turned back to the person. "Before I go. Mind telling me your name?" The boy sighed and looked over where there was a small crater. Inside of the crater was a sword.

He walked over to it and picked up the strange looking weapon and shook his head. '_I thought I was able to stop this from being created.'_ "My name is Ventus." He said as he studied the blade in his hand. _'this isn't possible! the X-blade shouldn't exist!' _He sighed as he continued studying the blade. "I can't believe I wasn't able to stop them..."

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Authors Note: Alright hope you enjoyed and before I wrap up this chapter I'm gonna explain a few things. This whole thing will be a series of about 2-3 stories. The KH universe as you know it will mostly likely not exists. I will follow the BASIC story but there will be a lot of changes especially with characters and the development that those characters receive. Expect OOCness and some characters dying off quickly. Finally I want to add some more stuff so leave me a review with some constructive criticism and suggest some cameo appearances. Once I get enough I'll post up a poll and see who the most popular ones are.


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